Light emitting diodes (LEDs) have been utilized since about the 1960s. However, for the first few decades of use, the relatively low light output and narrow range of colored illumination limited the LED utilization role to specialized applications (e.g., indicator lamps). As light output improved, LED utilization within other lighting systems, such as within LED “EXIT” signs and LED traffic signals, began to increase. Over the last several years, the white light output capacity of LEDs has more than tripled, thereby allowing the LED to become the lighting solution of choice for a wide range of lighting solutions.
LED lighting solutions have introduced other advantages, such as increased reliability, design flexibility, and safety. Due to the vast amount of variability in selecting elements of a lighting solution, efforts continue to develop particular directional and patterned beams which cater to the specific application for which they are intended.